What happened this week?
Covid-19: Is Life Returning to normal?
Towards the beginning of 2020 a new virus was discovered by the name of Covid-19 was brought to the United States attention and was not taken very seriously by the United States citizens. It was all a joke at the beginning I remember laughing in math class telling my friend he had the virus because he coughed in class and we were laughing so hard not taking the Corona seriously. But by March 2020 what started as a 2 week break from school to slow the spread became 3 months and 3 months became six, so on and so forth. Today as of January 2021 we have to wear a mask literally anywhere we even think about going to and only a certain amount of people are allowed in to a building at one time. When it first started they were scared to open anything up so all dining rooms and things were closed for only curbside pickup. But fast forward to now we are almost back to everything functioning normally. All the diners are open and more and more places are taking off the people limit due to the spread slowing down, life is actually going back to how it used to be prior to corona…We are slowly but surely returning back to the regular U.S
A'ja Wilson Statue unveiled on USC Campus
January 18th, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, now has an even more significant meaning to former Gamecock and current WNBA star A'ja Wilson.
"This is the day we recognize the great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King [Jr.]," Wilson said in a Zoom call Monday. "My grandmother couldn't eve walk on this campus; she had to walk around [it]. If she was here today to see her granddaughter has a statue where she could not walk..." It goes to show how you just pant seeds and that's what it's all about.
She grew up in Hopkins, SC just outside of Columbia. The hometown star aided the women Gamecocks to their first NCAA title in 2017 and first final four in 20215. The 2020 WNBA season, played in the Bubble in Bradenton, Florida, had social justice as its focus. This was especially important to Wilson, who hopes her statue can be "an inspiration to all, but particularly to young people."
"Change doesn't happen overnight," Wilson said, "but little Black girls can look at the statue and say 'wow.' I hope those young Black girls see the role models that are in front of them, because I still look up to so many."
Speeches of the Inauguration
On this amazing day we gained a new president Joe Biden on January 20th, 2021. Also, we now have a new Vice president that’s also a wonderful African American Women Kamala Harris (Shout out to all of the women everywhere we can do anything if we put our minds to it.) On the day of the inauguration we also had very special guest Barack and Michelle Obama with their own amazing speeches for this new change we have in the world. I myself am very excited to have a new President the world will definitely be Great Again.
Now I will present the speech from our new President and Vice President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. (I will not be writing their full speeches but the links to the full speeches will be at the bottom of the wrap up)
President Joseph R. Biden: This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of people has been heard and the will of people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries…
Vice President Kamala Harris: Good evening, it is my honor to be here, to stand on the shoulders of those who came before to speak tonight as your vice president. In many ways, this moment embodies our character as a nation. It demonstrates who we are, even in dark times. We not only dream, we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be. We shoot for the moon, and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome, that we will rise up. This is American aspiration. In the middle of the civil war, Abraham Lincoln saw a better future and built it with land grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad. In the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King fought for racial justice and economic justice. American aspiration is what drove the women of this nation, throughout history, to demand equal rights, and the authors of the Bill of Rights to claim freedoms that had rarely been written down before…
Very great speeches were told from our current president and vice present. I want to present the speeches from our former president and first lady Barack (Our first black president) and Michelle Obama. Sadly I cannot find any videos or websites from their speeches they mainly give 2008 and 2013 speeches from when Barack was president. But I would like to say I am so proud to have a new president and vice president I feel like more things will change and get done in the white house from 2021-2025. Hopefully if he makes a great impact in office for these 4 years he will be able to take on another 4 years in office as our U.S President.
High Profile Pardons
Two weeks ago before Donald trump left office he had a long list of pardons and there were a few notable names that stood out. Two rappers Kodak black and lil Wayne were among that list. The justice department said that Dwayne Michel carter or lil Wayne was convicted of possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Lil Wayne plead guilty to that charge and was awaiting trial but now he can get back to his rap career. Kodak black or Bill Kahan Kapri was charged for making a false statement to buy a firearm. One important reason for Kodak to get pardoned it that he agreed to donate a million dollars in charity. Both of these rappers are sure to release a new album this year.
justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-donald-trump
Opinion: Virtual School is Necessary, but I Can't Concentrate
Online school is a pretty much mandatory way of school that we have to do because of covid 19. I personally hate online school because you don’t get to interact with others and you’re not as driven to do school or any work. There are also a lot of distractions too like your phone and maybe a video game. I just think that if I were in person my grades would not only be a lot better, but my will to learn would be too. It is scientifically proven that online school makes it harder for kids to concentrate and make as good grades as in person school. I used to rarely get c’s last year, but now it seems that I get 1 or 2 in some classes because the instructions just aren’t clear and I get distracted. I know a lot of other students and parents feel the same as me, but I can’t wait until we can all start going back to school.
Clemson Quarterback?
Clemson is building a relationship with valuable Texas QB Cade Klubnik, They may make an offer soon.
“I was just on the phone with their whole offensive staff Tuesday. It’s going really well. I think they are liking me more and more every week. They really liked the way I played the last couple of weeks. Obviously, they love my game, that’s for sure. I think they are just continuing to build the relationship and getting to know me and all of that. Just continue to build relationships through all the staff.” Klubnik said in an interview.
Klubnik has lead his Westlake High School team to its second straight 6A-Devision state championship, and more and more colleges have been showing there interests by making offers. The up and coming QB has received offers from Texas A&M (the preferred choice of both his parents), Texas, Auburn, Arizona, Arizona St., Baylor, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi St., and many others.
“Pretty happy about it,” he said. “A&M is pretty new. I haven’t talked to them a ton. They kind of just jumped in. We’ll see with that.” Klubnik said.
Klubnik has shown a strong interest in Clemson and its football program over the months, visiting the University with his parents in October. An offer from Clemson is one he’s long desired as part of his recruiting process, and the fact that he has not received one has not damaged his view on the program.
“I like them a lot,” Klubnik said. “I’m not in any rush anyway. We’re just kind of talking every week. That’s kind of that, just continuing to build the relationship.”
Klubnik is still open to all of his offers, he said that Clemson, Auburn, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, and TCU are just schools that he’s been talking to regularly, and he has no special plans as far as eventual decisions.
“It’s just going to be kind of a gut feeling,” Klubnik later said on the subject. “I think just re-evaluating everything and making sure wherever I want to go is the right choice. Then I’ll pull the trigger on it. To be honest, the schools that I really talk to, they know if I’m interested in them or not. For me and those schools, they know if they are one of my few schools that I talk to.”
Source article: https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article248658480.html
Tom Brady Reigns Supreme
On Sunday, Tom Brady’s greatness became even more undeniable then it already was, as he led his Buccaneers to victory over the much favored Green Bay Packers. This victory sealed a 10th Super bowl appearance for 43 year old Brady, in which he hopes to get his 7th win over the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes and bring a second title to Tampa Bay. The game will surely be one for the ages.
Brady’s win over the Packers however, was more a result of questionable decision making by the Packer’s head coach Matt Lefleur than Brady’s performance. With less than five minutes left, an 8 point deficit and a fourth down on the goal line, Lefleur opted to kick a field goal rather than attempt to tie the game. “It was just circumstance of having three shots and coming away with no yards. And knowing that you not only need the touchdown but you’d need the 2-point. The way I was looking at it is we essentially had four timeouts with the 2-minute warning, we knew we needed to get a stop,” said the Packers coach following the game.
As evident, defense was key for the Buccaneers to pull out a win against the Packers and clinch the super bowl. This defensive theme will likely linger into the super bowl, as Tampa Bay’s defense must step up if they are even to have chance against the Chiefs who have the league’s best offense. That being said, it will still be essential to the Buccaneers success in the super bowl that Brady performs at the top of his game in order to keep up with the Chiefs offense in a game that will very likely be a high scoring affair.
In a press conference on Monday, Andy Reid – Kansas City’s head coach – testified to Tom Brady’s play this season, “You can see where Tom’s leadership on the offensive side is showing,” he said, “He’s playing at an extremely high level. And for somebody his age, it’s unbelievable. I mean, it’s unbelievable for a 25 year old to be doing what he’s doing, let alone a 43 year old.”
The fact that Brady is 43 is almost unbelievable. This season Brady has passed for the 3rd most yards (4633), and the most touchdowns out of anyone in the NFL (40). As Reid said, these numbers would be impressive enough for a 25 year old but they’re straight up mind boggling considering the age of Brady. His opponent opposing quarterback in the coming super bowl is in fact 25, and many would argue he’s the best quarterback in the NFL. Yet Mahomes threw for just 107 more yards than Brady this season.
The Bucs got off to a rough start at the beginning of the season. Although they were able to haul in Brady from free-agency, who brought with him Gronk out of retirement, covid protocols and the accompanying lack of preparation led the Buccaneers to a measly 7-5 record going into their bye week. Since that bye, the Buccaneers have gone undefeated and made their way to a super bowl, something very few would have predicted. Coincidently, Tampa will even benefit from home field advantage in the super bowl, something no team has ever done as the super bowl venue is chosen years prior.
“It’s been a great journey this far,” said Brady after sealing his 10th super bowl appearance, and it doesn’t seem he will be stopping any time soon.
Superbowl LV is Here, but We're Only Here for the Snacks and the Music
Super Bowl LV has arrived, ladies and gentleman! These men worked hard, and the two teams competing are the Kansas City Chiefs and The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you are someone who looks forward to the national anthem and half time then you will wait no longer. February 7th Grammy-nominated artists Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan will collaborate to perform the national anthem. Jasmine Sullivan has a strong, beautiful and soulful singing while as Eric Church is a hard rocking country singer. These voices will combine to produce something beautiful. Next is halftime: award-winning pop artist who has a great mix of genre, The Weeknd will be performing as well for half-time. This performance is going to be a movie with lots of dancing and excitement. Let’s see what this game has to offer! GO CHIEFS!
Fans Split over XXXTentacion Hologram Tour
XXXTentacion had some of the most energetic shows out of anybody in the rap game. His crowds were raucous, generally involving more than a few mosh pits and appearances from his friends in Members Only. X always knew how to get your attention and he would have you screaming to the top of your lungs. But around Mid-late Oct, his mother, Cleo, suggested that her son should have his own hologram. She would go on to try to get all of X’s old SoundCloud music on all streaming services.
Now I’m pretty sure all X fans miss him very much and would do anything to feel that energy he gave us before he left. Some fans are saying his mother is using him for benefits at this time, but some fans are saying this would be good because they did the same thing for 2pac, Michael Jackson, and others. Now just because I miss that energy, I would for sure buy a ticket and go on tour with him to feel that vibe once again.
LeBron Reportedly Spends $1.5M a Year on his Body
Everyone knows LeBron right? The GOAT Himself drafted in 2003 straight out of High school to the Cavilers. The 6’8 King yeah you know him. What if I told you he spends 1.5 million dollars a year just on his body. You ever wondered how LeBron suffers very little injuries? How are you 36 and still flying high and landing gracefully with out injuries? Easy! I’ll start of with his Diet. LeBron has a very healthy balanced diet. LeBron James reportedly has a massive appetite and a sweet tooth to match. He's been known to eat cereal, French Toast, eggs, lobster, steak, fish, smoothies, protein shakes, cookies, pasta, chicken, fruit, veggies, and more. He also helps himself to the occasional glass of wine. He consumed around 12,000 calories daily in order to have enough energy for the amount of training it takes to finish an illustrious career with the most Olympic medals in history with 22. Next I’ll talk about LeBron’s workout routine, and how much he spends on it. A big part of James' physical work is the various forms of treatment he gets to prepare for and recover from games. He was reportedly one of the first players to invest in a cryo chamber, which uses liquid nitrogen to essentially be a more efficient version of an ice bath. Yes LeBron uses CRYOTHEROPY to ice down and relax his joints and muscles. Which is roughly around $100K-$300K. James is also a fan of using the hyperbaric chamber to put more oxygen into his body. It can also increase mental awareness. Lebron spends thousands of dollars on top chef’s for his diet. So yeah LeBron is way ahead o the game
How the Covid-19 Vaccine works: phases, qualifications, urgency and where to find it locally.
COVID-19 vaccines will help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. This allows the body to build certain protections it needs to fight off the virus itself. All but one of the COVID-19 vaccines use two shots. The first shot starts building protection and the second shot taken a few weeks later is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer. In South Carolina, it works in phases and importance.
The people who are deemed as most important get the vaccine first. For example, the list starts off with: 70+ year-olds, anesthesiology assistants, chiropractors, home health and hospice workers, medical assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse’s assistants and state/local government employees. After that list is done, with a few others, anyone who wishes to be vaccinated will be able to do so in the fall of 2021.
The total number of doses allocated to the state of South Carolina itself is 668,450. While more than half has been used already, the state is expecting more shipments as the year goes on. CVS and Walgreens began holding vaccine clinics the week of December 28 and will continue to hold them until every facility resident and staff who wants vaccine receives both doses. Currently, only the Moderna vaccine is being used for this vaccination effort. The best chance to receive a vaccine would be through these companies.
Opinion: Biden's First day was a success
Biden’s first day, in my opinion, was very successful. He passed a multitude of executive orders, many of which angered people as they claimed that he was destroying jobs. Not only was the amount of jobs way overestimated, almost all of them, especially the border wall construction and the XL Pipeline construction were all temporary, as they would be fired as soon as it was complete. Biden also put into effect a plan to vaccinate the entire country by the end of the summer, which some people, mostly Trump supporters, claimed would take too long and that vaccinations would be out in a month if Trump was still running things, even though if that was the case we would still be vaccinating people well into 2022 or even 2023. Another necessary executive order Biden put into place was to end the mistreatment of illegal immigrants. His order made sure to include them in the decade Census, which determines the representation in the house. That got the predicted response from hardcore Trump supporters about how they weren’t Americans and were going to steal our jobs, even though just a month or two ago many said they considered leaving the country because Biden was going to be President.
Bachelor Franchise introduces first Black bachelor in the history of the show
If you are a faithful watcher of reality television, you have probably heard that ABC’s “The Bachelor” has recently introduced the new lead of the show. Matt James is a 28 –year old North Carolina native and New York City – based real estate agent. What makes James important is that he is the first Bachelor to film his season during a pandemic. Furthermore, he is also the first Black Bachelor in the 18-year history of the show.
Matt James appears to be the typical Bachelor blueprint: he’s tall, photogenic, a former athlete, and he hails from the South. James is an unapologetic Christian; this is seen when he lead the group in prayer the very first night. He was formerly a registered Republican. Additionally, he is also the founder of a non-profit mentoring program. The arrival of Matt James was a shock for many, but a positive one.
It is fair to say that a considerable amount of fans had called for diversity in the franchise over the past 18-years. Karey Burke, the president of ABC Entertainment says, “We know we have a responsibility to make sure the love stories we’re seeing onscreen are representative of the world we live in and we are proudly in service to our audience. This is just the beginning and we will continue to take action with regard to diversity issues on this franchise” (Times). Matt confided in James Harrison before greeting his suitors during the premiere to discuss his biracial identity and the “pressure that I’ve put on myself being the first black bachelor”.
In 2012, “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” were sued for racial discrimination in a class action lawsuit by Christopher Johnson and Nathaniel Claybrooks, two Black men who auditioned for the show. In the suit, they claimed that “deliberate exclusion of people of color from the roles of the Bachelor and Bachelorette underscores the significant barriers that people of color continue to face in media and the broader marketplace”(Times). The case was ultimately thrown out thanks to the First Amendment. Although the case was unsuccessful, it did help bring light to the “overwhelming whiteness of the franchise’s casts”. During an NPR interview James Harrison says, “Advertisers have to buy the next season of show. I need millions of people to want to watch this show. So I need to put on people that others want to watch”.
Season 25 is the most diverse casts of contestants in the show’s 18-year-history. The show has casted 32 women of different backgrounds and for the first time white women have been the minority for “The Bachelor” cast (Times). This of course isn’t a surprise because the franchise hired a “diversity consulting team” for James’ season. It appears that the show is attempting to look at diversity beyond race. James presented his first impression rose to Abigail Heringer, whom Harrison recently reported is the first hearing-impaired contestant in the show’s history. These changes are promising and exciting to much of the fan base.
James’ historic casting is significant and a small step in the right direction. Featuring a Black Bachelor can not erase the years of curated whiteness, but it is a glorious beginning to a more diverse show. In a conversation with one of the contestants, James explains the impossible challenge of his role on the show by saying, “I feel a load of responsibility, but in that, I feel that my experience isn’t everyone’s experience. I can only go and speak on things that I experience and live out my truths” (Times).
Golden Globe nominee predictions
Predicted nominees for Best Motion Picture Drama
“The Trail of the Chicago 7” (2020)
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Producers- Stuart M. Besser, Matt Jackson, Marc Platt, Tyler Thompson
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Director- Aaron Sorkin
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Screenwriter- Aaron Sorkin
"Nomadland" (2020)
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Producers- Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
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Director- Chloe Zhao
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Screenwriter- Chloe Zhao
"One Night in Miami" (2020)
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Producers- Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Jody Klein
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Director- Regina King
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Screenwriter- Kemp Powers
“Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
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Producers- Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf
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Director- Regina King
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Screenwriter- Kemp Powers
Predicted Nominees for Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
"On the Rocks" (2020)
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Producer- Sofia Coppola
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Director- Sofia Coppola
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Screenwriter- Sofia Coppola
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (2020)
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Producer- Sacha Baron Cohen
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Director- Jason Woliner
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Screenwriter- Sacha Baron Cohen
“Hamilton” (2020)
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Producer- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Jeffrey Seller
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Director- Thomas Kail
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Screenwriter- Lin-Manuel Miranda
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” (2020)
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Producer- Armando Iannucci
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Director- Armando Iannucci
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Screenwriter- Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell